’Freedom’ is a 101 year old motor yacht designed by John Trumpy and built by Mathis Yacht Building Company of Camden, NY. She has a length of 104 ft. and a beam of 20 ft. with lovely lines. ‘Freedom’ was “found” on dry land in Jacksonville, Florida by the current restorers, McMillen Yachts. The lineage of ‘Freedom’ is impeccable. The famed team of John Trumpy and the Mathis shipyard were responsible for the US Presidential Yacht ‘Sequoia’. “Sequoia’ was commissioned by President Herbert Hoover and sold by President Gerald Ford after serving 9 presidents. ‘Freedom’ was christened on the 150th anniversary of US independance.

The restoration of this lovely yacht is taking place at McMillen Yachts, wooden boat specialists in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. The wooden shipwright, Louis Sauzedde, leads a team of 14 wooden boat specialists. It is a formidable task already two years in the making. The fine wooden hull had been covered with fibreglass and paint and much of the deck was rotten. The restoration still has some way to go. Costs are expected to rise above US $ 6 Million. McMillen Yachts is financing the project with a fractional ownership plan.

For more on the story visit The Jamestown Press. For McMillen Yachts visit www.woodenyachts.com